Fatal US helicopter crash probe starts

An investigation is underway as to why a US Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in Norfolk, killing all four people on board

The wreckage of the US Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter that crashed during a training exercise, killing four crew members, lies next to the beach at Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk.

Specialist teams are examining the site of a US military helicopter crash in Norfolk.

Emergency services worked throughout the night with the help of military personnel and volunteers after the aircraft came down at a nature reserve in Cley-next-the-Sea at around 6pm during a low-flying training exercise.

The HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter was on a training mission from RAF Lakenheath - a base for the US Air Force - which lies on the Suffolk Norfolk border, around 50 miles from the crash site.

A derivative of the more famous Black Hawk helicopter, the Pave Hawk gets its name from the PAVE acronym standing for Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment.

They are used for combat search and rescue, mainly to recover downed aircrew or other isolated personnel in theatres of war and have a four-man crew and can carry up to 12 troops.

Typically, training flights would replicate as closely as possible real missions which would mean weapons and ammunition would be carried.

Indeed, the initial investigation into the crash is being hampered by the fact it was carrying munitions, meaning bullets are scattered around the scene.

Speaking near the scene, Chief Superintendent Bob Scully of Norfolk Police said: "We have currently cordoned off about 400 square metres of the marshland area.

"The crash site itself I would describe as an area of debris on difficult terrain on the marsh that's about the size of a football pitch.

"It's not on the beach, although there are some bits of debris which are vulnerable to high tide."

Mr Scully said it was too early to say what caused the crash.

"At the present time the coroner, who is responsible for the investigation into the deaths, is carrying out a daylight assessment of the situation and is then arranging for the deceased to be removed from the site," he said.

He said the investigation would then be passed over to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and its counterparts in the US.

A second helicopter from RAF Lakenheath was also in the area at the time of the crash and set down on the marshes to try to assist.

Mr Scully refused to speculate on whether the second helicopter had any involvement in the incident but said that, as it was nearby at the time, it made sense it went to help.

He went on: "We are moving from a potential recovery operation to one of preserving the scene and carrying out an investigation.

Inquiries into the cause of the crash, as well as the recovery of the wreckage and the second aircraft, are expected to take a number of days to complete, due to the geography and the munitions from the crashed helicopter.

There have been several high-profile helicopter crashes in the UK over the last year, causing concern over safety.

The Pave Hawk accident in Norfolk, thought to have left four people dead, comes less than two months after a police helicopter crashed into a pub in Glasgow.

Ten people, including three on board the Eurocopter EC135 helicopter, were killed when the aircraft fell from the sky ''like a stone'' onto the Clutha Vaults pub on November 29.

More than 100 people had been inside the establishment on the banks of the Clyde in Glasgow city centre at the time.

Last month, manufacturer Eurocopter issued a worldwide safety alert after a fault was found with the fuel indication system on some EC135 models.

Scotland had already suffered a helicopter disaster in August when an aircraft carrying oil rig workers ditched, killing four people in the North Sea off Shetland.

Two crew members and 16 passengers were on board the Super Puma L2 as it flew between an oil platform and Sumburgh Airport on Shetland.

It was the second major helicopter crash to take place in the North Sea in recent years after a Super Puma EC225 helicopter plunged into the water off the Aberdeenshire coast claiming 16 lives in April 2009.

The Aberdeenshire crash was itself preceded and followed by non-fatal accidents involving the EC225 model.

Last January, a helicopter crashed into a crane during rush hour in Vauxhall, south London.

Veteran pilot Pete Barnes died after his aircraft plunged to the ground 700ft below, killing Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, south London, as he walked to work.

Five people were taken to hospital and seven more were treated at the scene.

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